The presence of three South African-born and reared players who qualified by dint of the three-year residency ruling has, unsurprisingly, generated quite some interest in the home media. This prompted Irish forwards coach Simon Easterby to laud the commitment of CJ Stander, Richardt Strauss and the uncapped Quinn Roux to their adopted country in advance of the forthcoming three-Test tour.
Easterby faced a sizeable South African media corps after the Irish squad trained under clear blue skies in temperatures in the mid-20s in the picturesque surrounds of Westerford High School overlooked by Table Mountain. Cue the inevitable questions about Ireland’s trio of project players.
“CJ’s shown with his form over the last three seasons with Munster, he’s been outstanding,” said Easterby. “He’s been a real talisman for them. He’s come into our Six Nations squad and done particularly well. He plays with his heart on his sleeve and is a real leader. He’ll be emotional at the weekend along with Quinn and Richardt.
“These are guys that are very passionate about where they were brought up but hugely passionate about wearing the green jersey.
“To a man that has come through, not just in this week since arriving in South Africa, but also the build-up. You get a sense that they’ve very keen to show the country that they were born in what they’re missing.”
Easterby himself played in both Tests on the last Irish tour here, a dozen years ago, and admitted: “It’ a huge challenge, I was here in 2004 and played in the two Tests so it’s a massive challenge coming into a country that is a hugely passionate about the game of rugby. With that challenge presents some real opportunities for us as well and we’ve got a really exciting crop of players and we’re going to learn a lot about those players over the next three weeks.”
Easterby also played down the quadruple whammy of losing four Leinster backs in the fall-out from their Guinness Pro 12 final defeat to Connacht.
“Every team will travel I’m sure from the northern hemisphere this summer without certain players; we’re no different. What it does do is to allow us to view these players up close for the next three week.”
“Players who have stood up domestically in the Pro 12 throughout the season have been given the opportunity. It will build some depth and they can lay a marker down for the guys that aren’t here and that’s always a challenge for when we return home for next season.
“For me, it’s great. We build some depth looking ahead to 2019 and we’ll find out a lot about players in a really intense environment against one of the best sides in the world.”
Much was also made of Ireland’s win over South Africa at the Aviva Stadium when the sides last met in November 2014, when the Irish pack outsmarted the Springboks at maul time especially, either disengaging for Jack McGrath to come around the back of the Boks’ maul and tackle the carrier, or defend it effectively close to the line.
A change in the laws which was introduced for the Super Rugby campaign has meant that teams will no longer be able to shift the initial ball carrier to the back of the maul as this will be viewed as obstruction. Instead, the first receiver will have to pass the ball to his team-mates who can then shift the ball to the back of the maul.
“We haven’t played under those rules as yet but it’s something that we’re fully aware of and it’s a slight change, it’s a not a huge change,” said Easterby. “We’re aware of what we need to do in order to stay on the right side of the law with the referee on the weekend and making sure that we get our own house in order and we’re clear on our strategies so we don’t come unstuck. It’s important that we’ve managed to train under those slight changes to the law for long enough now to hopefully make them second nature come the weekend.”
A restructured, less experienced backline may perhaps accentuate the responsibility on the Irish pack to deliver up front. Easterby maintained: “I think that’s no different in any Test match but in particular we would have more experience in the forward pack than maybe the backline but that challenge for us to give quality front-foot ball to our backs is something that we’re fully aware of and it’s a challenge that we know is going to be really difficult to do and countered by strong South Africa forward packs.
“It’s important that we try to give a platform to players that have come in and some of those exciting, young and maybe a little bit inexperienced backs than what we’ve had in the past, but the’re still some quality and experience there to choose from as well. So I think that forward platform is no different whether you’ve got a very experience backline or not.
“We know how important the battle with the scrum, the lineout and in particular the maul is going to be. Whenever we play South Africa, the lads know they’ve been in a game. It can be an arm wrestle at times and it’s important that we stay focused and process driven and that we get the most out of our opportunities when they arrive but also we try to negate the strengths, of which they are many , of the South African eight.”
